True Path to Totality

Korn smashed into the scene in 1994, blowing away fans with their heaviness and originality. Nearly twenty years later they continue to prove why they are unlike any other band with their tenth album, The Path to Totality. This is the perfect title for an album that showcases Korn’s continued evolution towards a more complete sound.

Korn - The Path to Totality

The band brings something to this album that they never have before, seven collaborating artists. In fact, every track is collaboration with one or more of the artists known for their contributions to a style of music known as dubstep. This music is filled with a lot of bass and drums, layered and mixed in syncopated rhythms creating a twisting, electronic mesh of music. However, don’t mistake dubstep’s electronic sound for techno. Its heavy base and winding rhythms are much more hard and dark. It feels like you’re inside a large, complex machine, surrounding by working gears and pistons when you are surrounding by its sounds. Dubstep’s roots stem from underground in the United Kingdom. It has since spread globally, and is now becoming more and more common in mainstream music. Some of the artists featured on this album include Skrillex, Noisia, and Excision.
The collaborations do not drown out what fans love about Korn, though. Although they have to make room for more sounds, the band still lays down the classic heavy metal Korn sound. Together the two styles create a sound that’s even harder than either of the two alone. Front man Jonathan Davis brings his trademark vocal style. His unique voice is perfect for the dubstep sound. The two twist and bend around each other throughout the album.
Two singles have been released from the album so far, both featuring Skrillex. “Get up!” is a perfect blend of metal and dubstep. Combine this with Davis’s repeated insistence to “Shut the f*** up! Get up!” and it is sure to be a stadium anthem guaranteed to get the crowd amped. “Narcissistic Cannibal” is probably my favorite of the two. Davis’s poetic lyrics over the classic, yet evolved sound of the band and collaborating artists are pure perfection. The album drops December 6th and can be pre-ordered at iTunes.